Opinion | Dominating the Indian Ocean: India Transforming Lakshadweep into Strategic Military Stronghold

While the Andaman and Nicobar Island chain is well-equipped to tackle military challenges, Lakshadweep is not quite there yet. (PTI Photo)

For an excruciatingly long period, the only attention Lakshadweep got was from school kids – learning about India’s pristine islands for the first time. There was no real effort to capitalise on the tremendous strategic edge these islands could offer to the country. Much of it was due to the apprehension that rampant development and militarisation of Lakshadweep would hurt the natural ecosystem while also antagonising the people living down under. However, environmental conservation and the upkeep of strategic interests can, in fact, go hand-in-hand.

The Modi government has realised the importance of these islands for maritime and national security in the region, and it is now making fast-paced moves to do what should ideally have been done long ago. As a result, Indian naval bases are now coming up in the Minicoy and Agatti Islands.

Around the 4^th or 5^th of March, India will send the world, especially entities hostile to it in the immediate neighbourhood, a stern strategic message. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be aboard INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant carrier task forces and travel to Lakshadweep’s Minicoy Island. The event will be a mega statement by India, as its defence minister – flanked by nearly 15 warships, will travel to Minicoy Islands along with naval brass to inaugurate a naval base – INS Jatayu.

That both of India’s aircraft carrier task forces will be travelling to Lakshadweep for the inauguration of INS Jatayu – along with destroyers, submarines and frigates – is frankly a kind of military posturing that India has never undertaken in the region. Therefore, the message for both Pakistan and China is quite clear. The Indian Ocean Region (IOR) is India’s strategic backyard, and attempts to undercut New Delhi will not be tolerated.

The Indian government is also going to construct a new airfield in Agatti. The envisioned airfield aims to serve both commercial and military aircraft, with plans for a joint facility capable of accommodating fighter jets, military transport planes, and commercial flights. The planned extended airstrip at Agatti will enable the operations of Sukhoi-30 and Rafale aircraft, making India the dominant air power in the region. This airstrip’s development also aims to boost tourism around Lakshadweep and enhance India’s surveillance capabilities in and around the Arabian Sea and the wider Indo-Pacific region. Currently, the only airport in Lakshadweep is Agatti, located approximately 300 kilometres away from Minicoy.

The Lakshadweep and Minicoy Islands sit on the Nine Degree Channel, a crucial trade route carrying billions of dollars of commerce between Southeast Asia and West Asia. At least 12 ships travel across the Nine Degree Channel every minute. Like the Malacca Strait, the Channel is instrumental to international shipping. Like India has the ability to dominate the Malacca Strait, it wants to be in a similar position in and around the Nine Degree Channel as well. Interestingly, the Minicoy Islands are just about 500 kilometres away from the Maldives, which in recent months has taken a sharp pro-China turn, ruffling feathers in both the MEA as well as India’s defence establishment.

For far too long, India’s overall maritime security strategy has been managed from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal. Indians know fairly well that the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are India’s “unsinkable” and “permanent” aircraft carrier in the region. However, the fact that Lakshadweep could have had the same status all this while appears to not just have escaped the imagination of common Indians, but also the national security apparatus. Now that the raging conflict between Israel and Hamas has directly impacted global maritime shipping, especially in the Red Sea, India appears to be course-correcting with a sense of urgency not many foresaw.

Apart from the rising threats to maritime shipping due to ongoing attacks by Iran-backed Houthis and various pirate groups, the emergence of China as a hostile force keen to chip away at Indian influence in the region is also concerning. This necessitates India to fortify its sovereign territories in the high seas.

While the Andaman and Nicobar Island chain is well-equipped to tackle military challenges, Lakshadweep is not quite there yet. The new naval base, apart from the airfield capable of operating heavy-duty fighter aircraft, will definitely make India a dominating force in the region that can singlehandedly ensure the safety of international maritime traffic. Therefore, the world stands to gain from India’s mission to capitalise on the strategic value that Lakshadweep has to offer.

India’s emergence as a leader in the region’s development is hard to ignore. Just as India is equipping itself with strategic military assets in IOR, it is also extending a helping hand to friendly nations. Mauritius is one such nation with which India shares a robust bilateral relationship. On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Mauritian counterpart, Pravind Jugnauth inaugurated an airstrip and a jetty in the Agalega Islands. PM Jugnauth said the airstrip and jetty will enhance the island’s capacity and capabilities in marine surveillance and security. Meanwhile, Modi said that India and Mauritius are natural partners in the maritime domain who can deal with traditional and non-traditional challenges in the Indian Ocean Region.

A Major Development Push in Lakshadweep is Now Underway

Essentially, India is positioning itself as a security guarantor in the wider IOR. At the same time, India is also pumping in a lot of resources to develop the islands. The Modi government, for instance, has planned a Rs 3,600-crore-plus infrastructure upgrade for the Lakshadweep islands to transform them into a tourist hub. The development includes the establishment of port facilities at Androth, Kalpeni, and Kadmat islands, as well as the construction of beachfront and peripheral roads at Kadmat Island (East), Agatti Island (East), and Kavaratti Island. A total of 13 projects have been identified for the 36 Lakshadweep islands, which cover an area of 32 square kilometres and are located 220-440 kilometres off the Kerala coast in the Arabian Sea.

During his January visit to the islands, PM Modi dedicated several key projects, including a submarine optical fibre cable connecting Kochi and Lakshadweep, a “low temperature” thermal desalination plant for Kadmat, a drinking water distribution project, and a battery-backed solar power project. The prime minister also laid the foundation stone for renovating the primary healthcare facility at Kalpeni and constructing model Anganwadi centres in the islands of Androth, Chetlat, Kadamat, Agatti, and Minicoy.

The concerted and rather open development push in Lakshadweep has prompted private hotel chains such as Taj to open additional locations to establish opulent accommodations. The Taj Group has unveiled plans to introduce new hotels on the Suheli and Kadmat islands by 2026, with development overseen by the Indian Hotels Company (IHCL). Airlines such as SpiceJet have also announced their intention to initiate flight operations to Lakshadweep, further underlining the region’s growing importance.

The transformation of Lakshadweep from a picturesque destination to a strategic stronghold marks a significant shift in India’s maritime security and development priorities. The Modi government’s recognition of the islands’ strategic value and subsequent investment in infrastructure and defence underscores a proactive approach to safeguarding national interests. With the inauguration of naval bases, construction of airfields, and comprehensive development projects underway, India aims not only to bolster its security posture but to also unlock the islands’ economic potential.

Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.